LOS ANGELES — Washington State coach Paul Wulff is one of three Pac-12 coaches on the hot seat — along with Arizona State’s Dennis Erickson and UCLA’s Rick Neuheisel — and his survival depends on how his wretched defense improves and whether quarterback Jeff Tuel jumps from dependable to remarkable.

The Cougars finished 118th nationally in total defense (467.00 yards per game), 115th in rush defense (220.25 ypg), 110th in pass efficiency defense (152.43) and 110th in scoring defense (35.53 points per game). All were last in the Pac-10.

He has eight defensive starters returning, not necessarily a good thing for WSU.

“It has been an issue, obviously,” Wulff said. “Our defense has more physical strength than we’ve had, more team speed than we’ve had, more game experience than we’ve had. There’s a good chance we’ll start only one or two seniors on the whole defense. That combination with added size, strength and confidence is going to make a big difference for us. I think we’ll stop the run.

“This spring we showed signs we have not shown in our time here on defense.”

Tuel should be one of the best quarterbacks in a league with strong quarterbacks. He was All-Pac 10 honorable mention after finishing fourth with 231.7 passing yards and sixth in pass efficiency at 133.3.

“He must put the team on his back and carry it,” Wulff said. “When games are tight he has to make the plays to win the game. Those are the steps he needs to take and will take.”

Article printed from The Field House: http://blogs.denverpost.com/colleges